Ochanya: Lawyer Gives Update on Next Action

Public Interest and Human Rights Lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has provided an update on the case of the late Miss Ochanya Ogbanje, a 13-year-old girl whose tragic death in 2018 drew national outrage over sexual violence against minors.

In a post shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on November 5, 2025, Effiong announced that his law firm has officially taken up the case on behalf of the Ogbanje family.

“Sequel to the engagement of our services, and consequent to the instructions of the Family of the Late Miss Ochanya Ogbanje of Ogene-Amejo in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, we have taken up the case of the late Miss Ochanya,” Effiong stated.

According to him, the firm has filed a formal petition with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on November 4, 2025, over the police’s alleged refusal to arrest Mr. Victor Ogbuja, who is accused of raping Ochanya over several years until she developed fatal medical complications that reportedly led to her death.

Effiong noted that while Mr. Andrew Ogbuja, a lecturer and father of the suspect, was tried and acquitted by the Benue State High Court on April 28, 2022, due to what the court described as prosecutorial failure, Mrs. Felicia Ogbuja, Victor’s mother, was convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court in Makurdi to five months imprisonment for neglect and abdication of parental responsibility, in violation of the NAPTIP Act.

However, the lawyer expressed concern that the police have failed to arrest Victor Ogbuja in the seven years since the incident, despite his alleged flight from Benue State after Ochanya’s death.

“We are demanding that the IGP should urgently recall the police case file from the Benue State Police Command to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, direct and supervise the arrest of Victor Ogbuja for prosecution,” Effiong said.

He further disclosed that his team has also requested adequate police protection for members of the Ogbanje family following repeated threats to their lives.

The renewed legal action marks a significant push for justice in a case that has long symbolized Nigeria’s struggle with systemic failure in handling sexual abuse and child protection cases.